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    Mom Teaches Child to Beer Funnel: When Do Parents Cross the Line?

    By Redbook | Parenting – Mon, Oct 3, 2011 12:31 PM EDT

    By Charlotte Hilton Andersen, REDBOOK

    Imagine my surprise when my 2-year-old son lifted his shirt and "nursed" his Glo Worm right in front of me. (Yes, they still make Glo Worms!) Once I overcame the strangeness of seeing its plastic face glowing each time it "got a drink", I figured this was probably a good thing. Obviously, my son had watched me nursing his new baby brother, and hopefully this means he'll grow up to view breast-feeding as normal and natural.

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    Children are natural mimics, after all. How else would we expect them to learn if not by example? But when do children participating in adult activities cross the line from precocious to obnoxious… or even dangerous?

    A Florida mom made national news recently when she posted a video (which has since been removed) of her teaching her preschooler how to "beer funnel" during a tailgate party. While the adults had beer and the kid received a Capri Sun, everyone got to chug together. Hilarious- or irresponsible? About half of respondents to a Huffington Post poll thought this was a bad idea (although the mother was criticized almost as much for letting her kid drink a sugar-laden Capri Sun as she did for teaching him how to slam it) demonstrating how torn people are on the issue of children acting like little adults.

    Indonesian toddlers chain smoking? Entirely reprehensible. A little girl shouting an Adele song about a tragic breakup? Adorable. But what about everything in between? The media widely criticized a dance group of 9-year-olds for dancing a sexy Beyonce number, yet the video received over four million views. A dad videotaped his son slurring hilariously while waiting for the medication used for a dental procedure to wear off. Let's be honest: Children are the stars of YouTube because they're so funny, unpretentious, and innocent-even when they're lip-synching to an adult song or dressing up in Mommy's Spanx.

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    It's becoming harder and harder to gauge when it's appropriate to laugh and when we should be offended. For one thing, we lack context and background in a 1-minute YouTube video. Is it even fair to judge someone else's parenting style based on a short video clip? But maybe, when it's a kid sucking on the end of a beer funnel, that's all you need to know.

    Quick: Someone bring back the Charlie Bit My Finger kid! At least that we knew was pure, hilarious fun.

    Do you think it's okay to let a child use a beer funnel (minus the beer)? What is your opinion on your children doing adult activities? How do we know when it's okay to laugh, and when things become inappropriate?

    Charlotte Hilton Andersen is a mom of 5 and the author of the book The Great Fitness Experiment: One Year of Trying Everything and the blog of the same name.

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    Permissions: Reprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc.

     

    15 comments

    • Switchrat
      Switchrat  •  7 months ago
      Ok wait, there is a huge difference between a beer funnel and a beer bong...
    • misscolo
      misscolo  •  7 months ago
      Nothing like overdosing your child!!! Abuse and endangerment of a child. People
      die all the time drinking too much..Why pollute an innocent child with garbage at a young
      age!!!!
    • misscolo
      misscolo  •  7 months ago
      Nothing like overdosing your child!!! Abuse and endangerment of a child. People
      die all the time drinking too much..Why pollute an innocent child with garbage at a young
      age!!!!
    • bnthdnth
      bnthdnth  •  7 months ago
      So, is the kid the designated driver? Is there a sober adult left to even watch over the youngster.
    • just asking
      just asking  •  7 months ago
      What is wrong with these parents? They should not be allowed to keep any children they have. No it's not ok to teach your child to slam beer at a tailgating party. finally who drove home and how much had they had to drink? At the least i believe they should have been ticketed DWI against the law in all states .Dwi with child in car totally irresponsible.
    • Leigh
      Leigh  •  7 months ago
      I WOULND`T BE CAUGHT DEAD ALLOWING MY CHILDREN TO BE WITH ANYONE OR WATCH ANYONE USE A BEER BONG?????????????? EVER! WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE, THIS EVENT WAS OBVIOUSLY NOT CHILD FRIENDLY AT ALL! GET A BABY SITTER!
    • J
      J  •  7 months ago
      It's funny for the group and fun for the kid. There is no issue here.
    • anonymous
      anonymous  •  7 months ago
      If the parents were having a keg party, why wasn't Jr. left with a responsible babysitter? I don't think a child needs to watch adults chug beer or anything else for that matter. More so, they shouldn't be teaching him how to do it, for crying out loud. Sounds like some young, irresponsible people who don't know how to be anything more than overgrown teenagers. JMHO.
    • Katie
      Katie  •  7 months ago
      I'd say it's about the same as giving a kid OJ or sparkling cider during a toast at some event. No one seems to make a big deal out of that.
    • Lauren
      Lauren  •  7 months ago
      I don't think this is questionable at all. It is bad parenting. It isn't funny, I don't think watching adults do it is funny and I would never want my child to imitate that kind of behavior.
    • Erica Marie Cecelia
      Erica Marie Cecelia  •  7 months ago
      I think it's funny and a cute way to make the child feel included... when all the adults had alcohol I got a juice or sparkling water in the same type of glass they were using. It made me feel more included and part of the group, and I didn't grow up to be a crazy alcoholic...
    • katiej
      katiej  •  7 months ago
      it's not great but there are so many worse things they could be doing and so long as they understand the difference between juice and beer then what's the problem? Our parents used to make us "jello shots" without the liquor so we could be like them and we loved it!
    • andrea
      andrea  •  7 months ago
      It doesn't set the best example. This is why people should have to take a competency test to have children. Parents shouldn't be teaching there children drinking games. They are not your friends they are you children.
    • Joe
      Joe  •  7 months ago
      The first 8 comments are why kids are so screwed up these days.
    • Jennifer
      Jennifer  •  7 months ago
      I don't see anything wrong with it so long as the child knows the difference between beer and juice.
     Post a comment

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